It's Draft Time: Impeachment Edition

[Dill]

(05-11-2017, 11:39 PM)hollodero Wrote: Yeah that one got me confused a little too.

What confuses me more is your president just freely stated that it was not the recommendation that led to the Comey firing. Pence lied, my minions all lied, it was really me the whole time! 

What gets me super-confused though: Can Trump really ask the FBI director directly if he is part of the investigation against his transiton team? And could Comey freely answer that question? Is that fine and legal?

The FBI is under control of the Department of Justice, and so under control of the Executive as well. But it is supposed to be "independent" of the president, which usually works because they are not usually investigating the president and his/her people. Normally a problem arises only because one political party or other perceives the president to be directing the FBI what to investigate (e.g., the president's political enemies).

I don't know if it is "illegal" for Trump to ASK such a question of Comey, but it is certainly wrong and against all norms. It compromises the investigation; the appearance is terrible if it becomes public--and Trump made it public!! It is the kind of thing which should lead to an inquiry. A competent politician would know this and take care to avoid improper appearances. No other candidate from the last election, Republican or Democrat, would be stumbling from one unforced error to another like this.

However, if Comey answers the question, reveals information about an FBI investigation to a target of the investigation, I am sure that is illegal and would be prosecutable.

According to Comey, Trump invited him to dinner (though Trump first told a reporter that Comey invited HIM!) and asked for a pledge of loyalty. Then Trump fired comey after Comey affirmed that he felt the American people best served by an independent FBI. To my mind that is worse than asking about the investigation.

LOL Trump's advisors told him not to do the interview with Lester Holt. But he knew better! 

As an MSNBC pundit Nicole Wallace just put it--He is the CRISIS CREATOR.